In an age of ‘selling’, try ‘giving’ instead (Don’t expect anything in return)

Is it me, or is every single outlet, whether it be the media/internet/people, trying to sell us on something? A new idea, the latest product, the hyped new streaming platform or show, even worse, ‘listen, to my new single’ OUT NOW! It’s everywhere, and sadly, we’re becoming numb to it, as well as being burnt out and exhausted by the idea of someone selling to us. Most of us just scroll through social media aimlessly and pretty much skip past 90% of what we see (guilty). It’s almost as if everything is just an advertisement for something. The challenge is, as musicians, how do we present ourselves in a way that doesn’t join this box of ‘sellers’, and still technically ‘sell’ them on our content or music?

Did you know that pre-2000s, it took an average of 4-7 times of seeing an advert before the person even recognized it, or buys into the idea of it. But in the latest marketing studies (as of late 2019), it now takes an average of 14-20! That’s more than double! And all these ‘sales’ are coming left and right, in pretty much every platform you see and walk to! Well, I found a concept that will help YOU separate yourself from the crowd of sellers. It’s the concept of ‘giving’ instead ‘selling’, but the secret is in expecting nothing in return. What do I mean by that? Let’s talk about it…

We always hear the term provide ‘value’, but what does the word actually mean? The definition of the word is, ‘relative worth, merit or importance’. Now, when we start giving to our audience, we should not ‘give’ without context. Context is the keyword here. We’ll dive deeper into this, but first, let me ask you a question, would you rather listen to a new song by someone if:

They told you to, ‘stream our new single ‘Title’, OUT NOW ON ALL PLATFORMS! Or…

They asked you, ‘this is for anyone who has ever felt lost and uninspired from losing someone special in their life. It was hard pouring myself into this song, but I knew that I had to face these emotions knowing that other people are going through the same challenges as me. And I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone. I’d love to hear what you think of my new single ‘Title’, here’s something for the rest of us’. Care to feel this one with me?

At the heart of it, they’re both technically promoting their new single, the difference is not the value proposition, but the ‘context’ in which it is presented. The latter not only shows that they care about their audience’s struggles, but also, asking them, rather than shoving it into their faces. It is a simple mindset shift, but makes a HUGE impact on the receiving end. And that’s what I mean by the term ‘giving’ instead of selling. That is the new marketing. By proving value, investing in people and showing you care about your audience, you become the odd one out of the pack of noise. All of a sudden, you’re not just a product, you STAND for something, you STAND for them. Which in turn, makes them gravitate and connect to you.

But the final point I want to make about this giving concept, which you MUST apply, is making sure you always give without expecting anything in return. That’ the secret. People can sniff out ingenuity from a mile away. By universal law, you can’t give something for nothing. As much as I want to write an essay about the law of compensation, the short summary is, ‘whatever you give, returns to you in equal amounts’. So when you come from a place of just giving all that you’ve got, without expectations, the universe is yours. Me personally, I find that the giving aspect is actually the reward, if they buy into me or my music, that’s a bonus! It’s time to shift our paradigm, it’s time to give more than what we’ve got…

Here’s to more music and success,

Jonathan Milanes

If you would like to know more about me, or just connect and chat, come say hi (@jonathanmilanes):